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A “watered-down” revolution?
photo by glory lily (Flickr CC)
After reading a National Geographic article about the modern challenges of agricultural, I wanted to post something related to the global water crisis and water in general. Sure, there is a lot of it coming down in parts of Australia and Brazil at the moment – and not in a good way. But in places like Africa’s Sahel region, famine and drought are constant and increasing threats.
From the NatGeo News piece Agriculture Becomes Our Top Environment Issue:
Many existing agricultural methods have stripped soils of nutrients, sucked aquifers dry, and polluted water with pesticides and fertilizers. And now, working with depleted and degraded resources, we must face climate change, which is already starting to express itself in changing rainfall patterns, more intense floods and droughts, and changing global temperatures that interfere with traditional growing seasons.
Farming technology can be a double-edged sword. Increased agricultural industrialization, thanks to the Green Revolution, has resulted in higher crop yields, but also pollution due to fertilizers, which has harmed aquatic animal populations. It has also raised important questions concerning sustainability.
In Africa, where the Green Revolution’s techniques have not panned out as they have in Mexico and India, more cutting-edge communications tech, as well as solar powered irrigation, is helping some farmers increase their yields and deal with limited water resources in a more sustainable manner.
For more, see National Geographic’s series of articles on the Global Water Crisis and water.org for lots of news and info on the subject.
While you’re here, check out this video of beautiful watery images set to Amata’s “Water Song”. Your eyes may even start to water a bit… sniff.
Tags: Africa, amata, global water crisis, Green Revolution, National Geographic, Sahel, water, water song
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